Direction-indicator for vehicles



F. H. SWEENEY.

DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10. 19-20.

1,352,827, PatentedSept. 7, 1920.

IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

DIRECTION-INDICATOR non. VEHICLES.

Application filed May 10,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK H. SWEENEY, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at San Francisco, inthe county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented newand useful Improvements in Direction-Indicators for Vehicles, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in direction indicators forvehicles and has particularv reference to a manually c011- trolleddevice which will indicate the'direction in which the driver of avehicle wishes to turn.

An important object of this invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove mentioned character, which is' adapted to be installed upon orapplied to an automobile, without materially altering the constructionthereof.

Another object of the invention is theem Q Specification of LettersPatent.

ployment of direction indicators which will 2 signal the driversintention of turning either to the right or to the left and which willoperate instantaneously through the medium of tension meansupon movementof manually control means.

An additional object of the invention is the employment of audiblewarning signals which are operated by the direction 'indicators andwhich will serve to give-warning that a change 1n dlrection is to bemade by the driver of an automobile.

A still further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of theabove mentioned character, which is simple in construction, inexpensiveto strong, durable and reliable Other objects and advantages tion willbe apparent duringt-he course of the following description,

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of thisv specification and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame.

Figure 1, is a applied to the tomobile,

Fig. 2, is a front elevation invention,

Fig. 3, is a transverse sectional view )11 line 33 of Fig. 2,

embodying my taken Fig; 4, is an enlarged detail showing the :onnectingrod and control arm broken m v Fig; 5, is a side'elevation ofthe-meansplan view of my apparatuswindshield frame of an an manufacture, inoperat1on.= of the inven-" tion of and one of the connecting rods andshowing' one of the direction indicators passing of an inclosedvantageinF igs; 1 and 1920. Serial No. 380,408.

' Fatented Sept. 7,1928;

for retaining the indicators in an inoperative position,

Fig. 6, 1s a side elevation partly in seca modified form of fasteningmeans through the glass car, 7 V r V Fig. 7, is a side elevation, ofstill another form of fastening means for one of the con--' nectingrods,

Fig. 8, is anenlarged section of a modified form of fastening means asshown in Fig. 7.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the'purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, numeral 8 designates aframe of a windshield on which are disposed arms. or fastening elements9, which serve as attaching means for connecting rods 10 to'theabove'menof a door tioned frame.-- Theserods 10 have disposed thereon Vshaped extensions or stops 11, the purpose of which will be' herelnafterdescribed. Rubber tubing or suitable bushing 12 is interposed betweenfastening elements 9 and the frame 8 shield frame. The arms 9 are bentback upon themselves and support audible signal devices 13, preferablybells, as shown to ad 2. "These signal devices are operated by meansofstuds 14 formed on direction=indicators 15. Attention connecting rods9 can either be made inone piece or as 2 can be connectedby turn buckle16, which serves to join the rods and holdthe'm taut, and will likewisefunction as means to hold the armsin close engagementwith thewindshieldframe, which arms inapplying the same to a vehicle canhe 'slippedoverthe windshield frame. To-further provide against a downward movement ofthe arms on'the windshield fra1ne','a set screw ii is is called'to thefact that the detail partly in. i i

of the windshield V and serves to prevent a marring 'of thewindpreferably shown in Figs. 1 and threaded into/the" bent oortion ofthe arm at each end thereof and by entering the frame act as a furtherretaining means to hold the arms 9 in a fixed frame and will function-toguard against movement of the arms. The turn buckle 16 is pierced by adouble headed pin 17, which will serve, when the machine is jarred toprevent the buckle from'turning by virtue )osition on the windshield lofthe lower head of the-pin being in conencircle the arm tact with thewindshield frame, and will also function as a means for tightening theturn buckle and increasing the tension of the arms upon the windshieldframe.

Provided on the rods 11 and surrounding the same are a pair of suitablestiff coil springs 18 which are attached thereto and co-act with slidingsockets 19, which also 10. The sliding sockets are provided with two)openings which receive rods 10 and control arms 20, and likewise haveset screws 18 disposed in the top there of to hold the control arms 20against lat eral movement. These latter arms are suit ably connected todirection indicators 15 vhich are guided in a horizontal plane by virtueof brackets 2:2.

In the apparatus shown in Figs. 1., 2, 3, i and 5, itwill be apparentthat before the signal indicators 15 are thrown into an operativeposition, the socket members will be held in position by the stops 11"formed on rods 10, and it will be furthermore evident that uponmovement of the control arms 20 the socket members 19 will be disengagedfrom the steps 11, for the tension coil springs 18 will pull thedirection indicators 15 through the guide brackets 22 and draw themoutwardly, thus giving a warning of the drivers intention to turn eitherto the right of to the left. The passage of the indicators 15 in ahorizontal direction will also cause the audible signal to be sounded.When it is desired to again turn the nals to an operating position thecontrol arms 20 are grasped y the driver and the indicators will bedrawn in and will again pass through the guides until sliding sockets 19are held fixed by the steps 11 of the rods 10. I

The apparatus shown in Figs 6, 7'and 8 is preferably used on a closed-incar. difference in structure in these modified forms relates only to thefastening means for attaching the rods to the side, of a vehicle, and asthe same mechanism is employed as has been described before, no detalldescription Wlll now be rendered.

In broadly describing, however, the modi the rods, 23,

fastening means for designated by numeral lied forms of a door sectlon'is which is disposed adjacent a glass panel 2% of a closed-in carthrough which indicators 15 pass. In Fig; 6 there is set forth anotherform of fastening element with a hook arm 25 of the rod 10 engaged in aneye 26 of an eye bolt 27, which in turn is held in position on thewindshield frame 8 by means or a nut 28. While in Figs. 7 and 8 thedetail of the flange element is illustrated and there is shown toadvantage a simple form of retaining means for the enlarged head of therod 10.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown anddescribed 'cators connected on sald rods, manually control meanscomconnected to said direction indicators,

same by The are to be taken as a preferred exampleof the same, and thatvarious changes in the shape,size, and arrangement'oi parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the sub'oined claims. v

l laving thus described the invention l claim 1. A device of thecharacter described comprising a eair of rods having means for attachment to a vehicle, means connecting said rods to hold the same taut,direction i11d1- to and slidably moun d nected to said directionindicators, and

means for guiding said direction indicators in a horizontal plane. 7

2. A. device of the character described comprising a pair of rodshavingmeans for attachment to a vehicle, means for connecting said rodsto holdthe same indicators connected to and siidably mounted on saidrods, tension means on said rods to control the sliding movement of saiddirection indicators to draw the same into an operative position,manually control means and means for guiding said direction indicators,

3. A device of the character described comprising a pair of bars havingmeans for attachment to a vehicle, a turn buckle connecting said rods tohold the same taut, a double headed pin penetrating the turn buckle andpreventing the turning of the having its lower head contacting withwindshield of said vehicle, indicators connected to and ed on said rods,tension means on said rods to control the sliding movement of saiddiarms lying in the same plane-as that of said rods, sliding socketsconnecting said rods and said arms, direction to saidarms, stops on saidrods to hold said indicators in a fixed position, tension meansencircling said rodsand attached thereto to draw said directionindicators into operative position, and means for guiding said direction indicators.

5. A device of the attachment to a vehicle, a turn buckle connectingsaid rods to hold the same taut, supporting means forming a continuationoi said first mentioned means, an audible signal supported by said lastmentioned means,

control arms lying in the same plane as that taut, direction indicatorsattached character described comprlsmga pair of rods having means fordirection slidably mountin of rods having meanstor indicators in a fixedposition, tension means attached to said rods to draw said throughindicators into an operative position, and

means guiding said direction indicators.

6. A device of the character described comprising a pair of rods havingfastening elements for attachment to the windshield of a vehicle, abushing interposed between said arms and said windshield frame,supporting means connected to the fastening elements and forming acontinuation thereof, an audible signal supported by said last mentionedmeans, a turn buckle connecting said rods to hold the same taut, controlarms lying in the same plane as that of said pair of rods, slidingsockets connecting said rods and said arms, direction indicatorsattached to said arms and provided with a stud portion to contact withand sound said audible signal, stops on said rods to hold saidindicators in a fixed position, tension means'attached to said rods tothrow said direction indicators into operative position, and

means for guiding said direction indicators.

7. A device of the character described comprising a pair of angular rodshaving fastening elements for attachment to a vehicle, a turn buckleconnecting said rods to hold the same taut, said fastening elementsincluding flanged sockets for receiving ends of said rods, control armslying in the same plane as that of said pair of angular rods, slidingsockets connecting said rods and said arms, direction indicatorsattached to said arms, stops on said rods to hold said indicatached tosaid rods to draw said direction indicators into operative position, andmeans for guiding said direction indicators horizontally through aportion of said vehicle.

8. A device of the character described comprising a pair of angularrods, terminating in hooked ends, fastening elements coni acted to saidrods for attaching the same to a vehicle, said fastening elementsincluding an eyelet bolt extending through the frame of said vehicle toreceive the hooked ends of said rods, a turn buckle connecting said rodsto hold the same taut, control arms lying in the same plane as that ofsaid pair of rods, sliding sockets connecting said rods and said arms,direction indicators attached to said arms, stops on said rods to holdsaid indica tors in a fixed position, tension means attached to saidrods to release the sliding sockets from said stops on movement of saidcontrol arms to thus throw said direction indicators into operativeposition, and means for guiding said direction indicators horizontallythrough a portion of said vehicle. Y

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

- FRANK H. SWEENEY.

'40 tors in a fixed position, tension means at-,

